Ascutney closed this season.
Burke is actually well suited to tap the Boston Metro market. Burke is closer to Boston than many (all?) of NoVT and mostly highway, another perk. And from the I-91 corridor, Burke is about the same drive time from the I89/I91 split as other NoVT resorts (I don't count K and Pico as NoVT). So as far as position and location, it is actually much better than NoVT strictly from a driving perspective, IMO. Yes, Boston metro via I-93, you do need to pass a lot of other resorts. But resorts along the spine of NoVT have similar drive perception obstacles to overcome in their being so much further than Mount Snow, Stratton, Okemo, Killington, etc. I don't think location is anything a HSQ and better marketing presence can not overcome. Unlike Ascutney, Burke needs a HSQ to offset it's only perceived drawback. And at least Burke will run that HSQ as it's primary lift, unlike how Ascutney used it (who wants to ride a triple that parallels a HSQ and look at the HSQ every single ride knowing its not being used to save expenses?).
As much as I stick my index finger down my throat when I see proposed expansion plans that includes cutting, I recognize that an open Burke is much better than a closed Burke. The mountain has momentum but that long slow fixed grip perception truly is something that keeps folks away. If you build it, they will come has not proven overly successful all the time, but I think in Burke's case, it is a poster child for that trite expression proving totally accurate.